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The final speaker of the BlizzCon opening ceremonies was Chris Metzen, Senior VP at Blizzard/Activision. With nervous anticipation he introduced the first brand-new IP in 17 years: Overwatch.

Activision/Blizzard’s brand new IP, Overwatch.

The introductory video we are shown begins with images and narration that show the history of the world and it’s characters. We soon find out that this is an exhibit in a museum two children are visiting; the older one says that those days are over and all of these heroes are just mercenaries now. Soon a fight breaks out around them and two sides are fighting over the infinity gauntlet; a mysterious item that may feature in the game. The scene ends with the supposedly “good guys” getting the gauntlet back.

After the video the Game Director of Overwatch, Jeff Kaplan, came onto the stage to tell the crowd more about what Overwatch was about. The game is a team-based, multiplayer 6v6 shooter that appears to be in a similar vein to games like Team Fortress 2 and Brink. Their hope is to make the game as approachable as possible; opening up the genre for old and new fans alike.

Presumably the game’s medic, Mercy.

A gameplay video was also shown introducing us to all of the characters, their special abilities and some of the stages. These include characters like Hanzo, an archer that can parkour around the environment and see players through certain walls and Mercy, a woman that looks like a robotic angel that appears to have healing abilities and the ability to fly.

The beta of the game is set to be available in 2015 and players can sign up at the official website. Con attendees will have the chance to play the game throughout BlizzCon and early consensus from them appears to be positive.

Overwatch had it’s own panel this afternoon that TechRaptor will be covering in depth so please stay tuned!

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I've been playing games since the Apple ][ Days. I have a special place in my heart for quirky Japanese games but you'll see me playing anything and everything! I'm also a huge nerd over tabletop RPGs, Warhammer 40k, anime, comic books and birds.